He was an artist, inventor, musician, architect and so much more.
Perhaps the best way to study his diverse achievements would be to visit "leonardo da Vinci's Workshop", a special limited time exhibition now at the Franklin Institute.
Created by a museum in Milan, Italy, the exhibit takes the sketches da Vinci produced more than 600 years ago, and turns them into three-dimensional models and computerized interactive exhibits.
So you don't just look at pictures. You see precise representations of some, and visit others on computer screens that let you play with the devices he imagined.
His "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" have interactive features that will help you see facets a mere painting in an art gallery would hardly show you.
You'll be amazed by representations of the devices he described, and learn a little more about them than you probably remember from school.
For example, most people believe da Vinci described what came to be our helicopter.
In fact, he was trying to analyze whether air could be compressed and therefore be used for propulsion. So he drew what he called an "aerial screw" and happened to set it up horizontally.
The idea of using something similar to propel a helicopter was more than 500 years in the future!
Da Vinci also conceptualized winged flight after studying birds' wings. He envisioned a human-powered device. And he drew a circular oar-powered warship ringed with cannons. Many of his items had military applications.
For more information about the exhibit, visit the Franklin Institute online. Special timed tickets are required to see this exhibit. You can order them online at museumtix.com.
